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You Can't Take Trust for Granted

November 18, 2008

From: Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z., (2006). A leader’s legacy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

What does trust look like? Trust is openness. Trust is valuing other people such that you respect their opinions and perspectives. You listen to them. Trust means moving outside your comfort zone and letting go of always having it your way or the way it has ‘always been done before.’ Trust requires honesty with oneself as well as with others. Trust means not making commitments you can’t keep; it requires not overpromising no matter how much you wish you could do something. Trust requires a willingness to let other take charge, and to let others, at times, make mistakes in doing things they have never done before.

For leaders, trust is the willingness to be vulnerable and open to others even when doing so may risk real harm (Like people falling on top of you!) Trust is relying on others, having confidence in others, and this can be difficult for the best of us, but especially for leaders. (Kouzes & Posner, 2006, p. 74-75)

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Created: 2008-12-05, Updated: 2009-01-08